Wow, Tiffany, a “pho pun”, how original. I know, right? Have I devolved into dad jokes? Never, because I’m too hilarious for that. I just had to, because I’m finally publishing my 100% vegan pho recipe. Told you I’d never forget you. I took a really long hiatus, but I’m present, I promise. I even added a bunch of new albums in the gallery – granted half of them are from last year. It’s been a busy year, get off my back, y’all!! I’ll get around to my European photos by the end of this month…I hope.. Anyway, back to the pho: whether you’re a meat eater or not, it’s a scrumptious recipe, so you can take your reservations & judgment & shove it right up your hairy nose holes. Pho is pronounced “fuh?” not “foe”. Source: I’m Vietnamese. There’s a question mark to indicate that you’re supposed to raise your voice as if you’re asking a question. In Vietnamese, pho has two question marks on the “O”, so trust me & lower your inquisitive eyebrow. If you’re an avid meat eater & think the idea of pho being vegan is absurd, you better swipe left right on out of here. Vietnam is known as one of the least religious countries in the world as its main “religion” aka folklore/cultural beliefs is heavily influenced by Taoism, Confucianism, & Buddhism. Many Buddhists are vegetarian/vegan, thus the meat-free versions of Vietnamese cuisine is 1 trillion times better than any quinoa kale salad you’ve ever had. There are lots of great vegetarian restaurants in Vietnam, so open your minddDdddD.

One of the most physically annoying things about aging is not the wrinkles & fine lines visibly showing–get on those anti-aging serums, stay out of the sun, use sunblock, moisturize daily, get ahold of some Asian genes, etc–but that agonizing pain in the back of your mandible. You know the pain I’m talking about, right? That jerk wisdom tooth who’s popping up to say, “hey gurl, sup?” & your response is, “BYE FELICIA, DISAPPEAR.” That pain. Yeahhhh, so since I can only pop so many pills of Motrin before I destroy my liver & overdose, all my food choices have been solely categorized under, “can I feed this to a baby?” and “cannot feed to baby.” Thank goodness for my random craving for cháo (also known as congee or rice porridge) a few weeks ago because it’s so easy to make & I can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Also, it falls under the, “10/10 can feed this to a baby.” I mean, it’s not exactly healthy to be exclusively eating it because rice is not going to fulfill the essential vitamin spectrum for a healthy body, but look, my mouth hurts to chew so I’m going to choose to slurp on rice porridge. That’s where the versatility comes into play though! Dressing up porridge with your favorite ingredients will help you get over the general boringness that is porridge.

Happy New Year to all of you! My last activity around these parts was more than a month ago & the only explanation is that I was pulled into a blackhole called Netflix, sucking up all of my free time. Blog or watch the next episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Just one more…episode…curse you, poor self-control!!! I’m not going to make a New Year’s Resolution list because I always break them & forget them, so I’ll just actively try to control my Netflix binging habits & place myself in a type of productivity rehab. Let’s begin with the first step towards a fresh start: a juice with detoxing properties. I’m not a medical professional (yet) nor am I a nutritionist, so I highly encourage you to use some common sense & do your own research. I’m just some person with a blog, so…yeah, don’t cite me, bro. I call this juice the Sweet Beet Zinger & it’s a great first drink in the morning after a night of partying too hard. But if you partied too hard, get yourself some water to rehydrate & a great meal packed with protein, amino acids, & vitamins.

In an attempt to be more festive because I haven’t had the time to make Thanksgiving themed recipes, I’m sharing with y’all recipes I’ve written in the past–all which make great Thanksgiving dishes–& recipes from others. I’m partial to these food bloggers because they interact with their readers, so please give their recipes & websites a visit. Such beautiful scrumptious pictures & recipes, what’s not to love? Shameless plugs + friendly plugs, simple, short, & sweet. Hopefully these recipes get you inspired to get cookin’ this holiday season.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you know that Josh & I went on a little weekend getaway to Maine. We traveled up to Portland & then made our way to Bar Harbor. Although I love city living, I begged Josh to adventure up into Bar Harbor to see Acadia National Park because this city girl needs to immerse herself in nature every once. The mountains & the trees called to me like the colors of the wind call to Pocahontas. Lucky for me, Josh enjoys the great outdoors so we made plans to visit Bar Harbor & it was even better than we could’ve ever imagined! Funny how that all works out, kind of like when you don’t expect very much from a recipe, but it turns out to be something you want to eat everyday.

Speaking of which, this modified recipe from Clean Slate by the Editors of Martha Stewart Living really surprised me. I mean, I knew I liked oatmeal, but I wasn’t crazy about it. I am, however, crazy about the combination of caramelized nectarines, coconut flakes, & almond milk. You could grab that box of cereal in your cabinet or you could reheat some delicious homemade oatmeal, toss some fruits on top, & sprinkle with agave or honey for a really delightful breakfast. I loved the addition of coconut flakes to the oatmeal, but do you know what brought this recipe to the next level? Mint.

I hear you, I hear you. “Mint, Tiff? Really? It’s just an accessory, a garnish.” OH, but you are wrong, soooOooOoo wrong. Mint may be a pretty little garnish or accessory to any plate, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t add another dimension or complexity to any dessert or savory dish. When Gaby visited, I added mint to our oatmeal with some mixed fruits & she remarked that it was a very surprisingly good & refreshing addition. So, when the people of Invaluable–a website dedicated to auctioning off nifty valuables such as art, jewelry, a signed jersey, etc–inspired me to write about my accessories or jewelry, I was dumbfounded on tying something completely unrelated to food or how anyone who would be interested in their company would be interested in my blog. But then I realized…